One-of-a-Kind Photographs by Warhol, Man Ray & More

Launch Slideshow

Although photography is a medium that lends itself to multiples, occasionally there are chances to acquire completely unique photographs and photobooks. The upcoming Photographs sale in New York presents several works making their first appearance at auction as well as objects with extraordinary artist provenance. Ahead, our Photographs specialists select their favourite rarities on offer.

One-of-a-Kind Photographs by Warhol, Man Ray & More

Ben Shahn and Inslee A. Hopper, ‘Mr. Clatterbuck’ (Maquette for a Photo Book on the Homesteads Resettlement Community at Flint Hill, Shenandoah Valley). Estimate $25,000-35,000.

"This book
of photographs – the only existing copy – is the result of a collaboration between artist Ben Shahn and Inslee A Hopper, who worked for the Treasury Department’s Section of Fine Arts under President Franklin D Roosevelt." –Hermione Sharp

"With his Polaroid camera, Warhol immortalised his interactions with the people in his circle – friends, celebrities, clients and lovers. He often used Polaroids as a starting point for his famous large-scale screenprints. The four Polaroid portraits
of the fashion industry giants offered here are each completely unique by nature of their medium." –Hermione Sharp

"For her colourful, angular, quintessentially 1980s Constructs, Kasten employed lines and angles to confuse the mind. This
is an early example of her work; she started with unique 8x10 Polaroids and later progressed into larger formats (see also lot 150
)." –Hermione Sharp

"Rarely does one have the chance to acquire an early image
by E.J. Bellocq, the mysterious photographer of the red-light district of New Orleans. While another early print is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, this is the only early Bellocq to appear at auction." –Anais Feyeux

"This
is the first time a work by Stefan Themerson is available at auction. Themerson is considered one of the most important 20th-century Eastern European Surrealist photographers and filmmakers. His entire artistic output was all but completely destroyed when the Nazis invaded Poland during World War II. Themerson’s photo collages comprised of film stills are his only surviving artworks and thus extremely rare." –Anais Feyeux

"Cady Noland dedicated an entire series of work to the unusual story of heiress Patty Hearst. In this work
, Hearst is depicted as a young, innocent girl before her transformation into societal revolutionary. This is a rare chance to acquire a work on paper by Noland; the larger aluminum-mounted works from this series often sell for ten times the present estimate." –Anais Feyeux

David Wojnarowicz, ‘Rimbaud in New York’ (in Diner). Estimate $12,000–18,000.

"This
is the first occasion a lifetime print from David Wojnarowicz’s early photo series Rimbaud in New York has appeared at auction. Although separated by a century, Arthur Rimbaud and Wojnarowicz lived somewhat parallel lives. It is believed Wojnarowicz made only one print of this image: the one offered here. The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York will open a major Wojnarowicz retrospective in July." –Anais Feyeux

"This ambiguous Surrealist image
is one of Man Ray’s most well known and reproduced. It can be read as two different subjects: a female torso and the head of The Minotaur. This print was discovered in the artist’s archive in Paris, and no other print of the image has been located. It has been part of nearly every major Man Ray retrospective." –Anais Feyeux

"This handmade book
is one of only two examples in existence; the other is located in the Robert Frank Archive in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. In 1948 Frank visited South America and created this book to document his travels. He gave this copy to his mentor, Alexey Brodovitch, then art director of Harper’s Bazaar, and it was later owned by another great American photographer, Joel Sternfeld." –Aimee Pflieger

"This unique album
of psychedelic, blue-hued Polaroid 360 prints is comprised of televised images and portraits, including some of Andy Warhol. It shows not only the artist’s obsession with documenting everyday occurrences, but also how the artists in Warhol’s circle were fascinated with television culture." –Aimee Pflieger

We use our own and third party cookies to enable you to navigate around our Site, use its features and engage on social media, and to allow us to perform analytics, remember your preferences, provide services that you have requested and produce content and advertisements tailored to your interests, both on our Site as well as others. For more information, or to learn how to change your cookie or marketing preferences, please see our updated Privacy Policy & Cookie Policy.

By continuing to use our Site, you consent to our use of cookies and to the practices described in our updated Privacy Policy.